The Precipice: Book One of The Asteroid Wars

Once, Dan Randolph was one of the richest men on Earth. Now the planet is spiraling into environmental disaster, with floods and earthquakes destroying the lives of millions. Martin Humphries, fabulously wealthy heir of the Humphries Trust, also knows that space-based industry is the way of the future. But unlike Randolph, he does not care if Earth perishes in the process.

Earth Lost: Earthrise, Book 2

Earth burns. We call them the scum. They came from deep space. Creatures of claws and endless malice, they ravage the world. As the war flares, as cities crumble, Private Marco Emery and his platoon blast into space. They won one battle on Earth. Their next battle must be fought in the darkness. The scum will not rest until the last human is dead. Marco and his friends must defeat them. They must win. Or Earth will fall.

Earth Alone: Earthrise, Book 1

They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Fifty years ago bloodthirsty aliens devastated the Earth. Most of humanity perished. We fell into darkness. But now we rise from the ashes. Now we fight back. Marco Emery was born into the war. After his mother is killed, he joins the Human Defense Force, Earth's ragtag army. Emery must survive basic training, become a soldier, and finally face the aliens in battle. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win.

Voyagers

Stoner knew. The fiery object hurtling toward the Earth was an alien spacecraft. But the world might never know. He was trapped in an iron cordon of secrecy, for the discovery had shattered the world power balance, setting off a brutal struggle for supremacy that raged from the sacred halls of the Vatican to the corridors of the Kremlin and the Pentagon. The forces of fear and treachery would use any weapon at their command, from mind war to sabotage, to keep the world in darkness.

Artifact

Deep in the Indian Ocean, Dr. Selene Khan enters an underwater dome thousands of years old, one that is fully operational. She barely escapes to the surface, only to discover that her research vessel has vanished. Can she make it to shore 100 miles away? On the other side of the world, Agent Jack Elliot uncovers an impossible 900 grams of antimatter. The trail leads him to Egypt, betrayal, and a sinister brainwashing facility. There, in a desperate move, he rescues Dr. Selene Khan.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

At the Sign of Triumph: Safehold, Book 9

The Church of God Awaiting's triumph over Charis was inevitable. Despite its prosperity, the Charis was a single, small island realm. It boasted less than two percent of the total population of Safehold. How could it possibly resist total destruction? The Church had every reason to be confident of a swift, crushing victory, an object lesson to other rebels.

A Learning Experience, Book 1

When a bunch of interstellar scavengers approach Earth intending to abduct a few dozen humans and sell them into slavery in the darkest, they make the mistake of picking on Steve Stuart and his friends, ex-military veterans all. Unprepared for humans who can actually fight, unaware of the true capabilities of their stolen starships, the scavengers rapidly lose control of the ship - and their lives.

The first invasion of Earth was beaten back by a coalition of corporate and international military forces and the Chinese army. China has been devastated by the Formic's initial efforts to eradicate Earth life forms and prepare the ground for their own settlement. The Scouring of China struck fear into the other nations of the planet; that fear blossomed into drastic action when scientists determined that the single ship that wreaked such damage was merely a scout ship. There is a mothership out beyond the solar system's Kuiper Belt, and it's heading into the system.

A hero without peer or scruples, Sam Gunn has a nose for trouble, money, and women, though not necessarily in that order. A man with the ego (and stature) of a Napoleon, the business acumen of a P. T. Barnum, and the raging hormones of a teenage boy, Sam is the finest astronaut NASA ever trained and dumped. But more than money, more than women, Sam Gunn loves justice—and he really does love money and women.

Hard Lessons: A Learning Experience, Book 2

Fifty years after Steve Stuart and his friends captured an alien starship, the Solar Union is a thriving interstellar power while Earth is increasingly backward and falling into barbarism. For two youngsters from Earth, the Solar Union offers the only chance they will ever have to make something of their lives.

The Black Sheep: A Learning Experience, Book 3

In the wake of Earth's collapse into chaos, Captain Hoshiko Stuart made the mistake of speaking her mind - and was exiled six months from Sol to a naval base in an unexplored and uncontacted sector. Placed in command of a single squadron of starships, she expected nothing but boredom. But when she discovers an alien race threatening to exterminate all other races within the sector, Hoshiko and her squadron are drawn into a war to stop them.

Steel World: Undying Mercenaries, Book 1

In the 20th century Earth sent probes, transmissions, and welcoming messages to the stars. Unfortunately, someone noticed. The Galactics arrived with their battle fleet in 2052. Rather than being exterminated under a barrage of hell-burners, Earth joined their vast Empire. Swearing allegiance to our distant alien overlords wasn't the only requirement for survival. We also had to have something of value to trade, something that neighboring planets would pay their hard-earned credits to buy. As most of the local worlds were too civilized to have a proper army, the only valuable service Earth could provide came in the form of soldiers....

Not Alone

When Dan McCarthy stumbles upon a folder containing evidence of the conspiracy to end all conspiracies - a top-level alien cover-up - he leaks the files without a second thought. The incredible truth revealed by Dan's leak immediately captures the public's imagination, but Dan's relentless commitment to exposing the cover-up and forcing disclosure quickly earns him some enemies in high places.

Star Carrier: Lost Colonies, Book 3

Earth builds her first war fleet! The greatest warships ever constructed in known space rise up one by one, soon dominating our skies. They strike fear into the hearts of every citizen and rebel colonist alike. Captain William Sparhawk, the very man who convinced the secretive Council to build this terrifying fleet, now has doubts about the project. What is their exact mission? How could anyone have built these huge ships so quickly? And, most puzzling of all, what's happening out at the isolated laboratory complex on Phobos, Mars' lopsided moon?

Mars, Inc.: The Billionaire's Club

How do you get to the Red Planet? Not via a benightedgovernment program trapped in red tape and bound by budget constrictions,that's for sure. No, what it will take is a helping of adventure, science,corporate power plays, a generous dollop of seduction - both in and out of theboardroom - and money, money, money!

Navigators of Dune

The story line tells the origins of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood and its breeding program, the human-computer Mentats, and the Navigators (the Spacing Guild), as well as a crucial battle for the future of the human race, in which reason faces off against fanaticism. These events have far-reaching consequences that will set the stage for Dune, millennia later.

Lunar Discovery: Discovery Series, Book 1

What lies on the dark side of the moon could change the course of humanity forever. When a Chinese rover discovers an alien technology on the dark side of the moon, it is up to Richard "Rock" Crandon and his NASA team of scientists and engineers to devise a way to return before the Chinese and Russians. Forced to deal with bureaucratic oversight and a complex team of personalities, Rock Crandon pushes his team to their limits.

Warship: Black Fleet Trilogy, Book 1

In the 25th century, humans have conquered space. The advent of faster-than-light travel has opened up hundreds of habitable planets for colonization, and humans have exploited the virtually limitless space and resources for hundreds of years with impunity. So complacent have they become with the overabundance that armed conflict is a thing of the past, and their machines of war are obsolete and decrepit. What would happen if they were suddenly threatened by a terrifying new enemy?

Starfire

On June 30, 1908, an object fell from the sky, releasing more energy than a thousand Hiroshima bombs. A Siberian forest was flattened, but the strike left no significant crater. The anomaly came to be known as the Tunguska Event, and scientists have never agreed whether it was the largest meteor strike in recorded history - or something else. Alien artifacts have been uncovered since the 1908 event, and a new star drive is discovered.

Extermination: Daniel Black, Book 3

Gaea's favored children have put her ancient plan to cleanse the Earth of humans into motion, and Kozalin stands high on their list of targets. Uncertain alliances, scheming gods, and an implacable foe will push Daniel to his limits. How far will the wizard from Earth go to protect his family?

Alice: Alice Series #1

Captain Jacob Thomas, USMC, is a divorced combat veteran just trying to get his life back on track. Returning to the marine corps after a failed attempt at reconciliation with his estranged wife, Jake volunteers for a DARPA experiment that catapults him into a future where humanity has been stripped of 200 years of technological advancements and more than half its population. With the help of a faceless benefactor named Alice, he escapes the confines of an abandoned lab facility.

Point of Origin: War Eternal, Book 4

For Colonel Mitchell "Ares" Williams, there is no giving up. There is no going back. The Goliath may have fallen into enemy hands, but the war must go on. After all, he and the Riggers have what they need to locate the Creator, the man responsible for the alien threat and the key to unraveling their unstoppable attack. All they have to do is get to him before the Tetron do.

Koban: Conflict and Empire

The Galactic Federation is confronted by the vast and implacable Thandol Empire, which has coveted the former Krall region of space for eons, a region of space now occupied and claimed by the upstart Kobani. Outnumbered, they face an opponent who possesses new and deadly weapons. An enemy that had thousands of years to develop the means to take on the Krall Empire, and now present the supermen with a weapon that turns their greatest genetic asset into their greatest weakness.

Publisher's Summary

Two hundred thousand feet up, things go horribly wrong. An experimental low-orbit spaceplane breaks up on reentry, falling to earth over a trail hundreds of miles long. And in its wake is the beginning of the most important mission in the history of spaceflight.

Americans needs energy, and Dan Randolph is determined to give it to them. He dreams of an array of geosynchronous powersats, satellites that gather solar energy and beam it to generators on Earth, freeing America from its addiction to fossil fuels and breaking the power of the oil cartels forever. But the wreck of the spaceplane has left his company, Astro Manufacturing, on the edge of bankruptcy.

Worse, Dan discovers that the plane was sabotaged. And whoever brought it down is willing—and able—to kill again to keep Astro grounded.

Now Dan has to thread a dangerous maze. The visible threats are bad enough: Rival firms want to buy him out and take control of his dreams. His former lover wants to co-opt his unlimited-energy idea as a campaign plank for the candidate she’s grooming for the presidency. NASA and the FAA want to shut down his maverick firm. And his creditors are breathing down his neck.

Making matters even more dangerous, an international organization of terrorists sees the powersat as a threat to their own oil-based power. And they’ve figured out how to use it as a weapon in their war against the West.

A sweeping mix of space, murder, romance, politics, secrets, and betrayal, Powersat will take you to the edge of space and the dawning of a new world.

this is a great story Ben Bova has done a great job with it and the narrator Stefan Rudnicki does a fantastic job as always HOWEVER there are several places throughout the book where all the different "takes" from the author are included one after another. what i mean is a sentence is repeated three or four times each time with a slightly different inflection in the narrators voice. then the story just continues on as normal for a while till you get to the next one. I'm half way through the book and so far the most notable occurrence of this is in chapter 24 starting about 3:40. Very annoying. this needs to be fixed and re-released

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It kept me interested, which is enough.

Any additional comments?

This is a good thriller with interesting characters and a decently-paced plot. Not much action until the climax, but the build-up is worth it. Stefan Rudnicki is an excellent narrator who does a good job with accents and expression. I would have given it a higher overall rating, but the poor editing is unacceptable for a commercial offering. Still, if you can look past the mistakes, it's worth a listen.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I am ambivalent on this question. I kept waiting for resolution, and it left me mildly dissappointed.

Has Powersat turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes, notwithstanding this presentation, I am a Ben Bova fan, esp. the Solar System series. Difficult to ignore the impact of Bova in the speculative fiction genre.

What does Stefan Rudnicki bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Stefan owns Bova ( or maybe it's the other way around?! ) His accents, his dynamics, his nuance. One of my favourite performers, esp. of Bova. Therefore, he brings this story to life far better than my imagination ever could at this point.

Did Powersat inspire you to do anything?

Cut back on petroleum usage.

Any additional comments?

Unusual for Bova in the sense that this book is largely a free standing effort. Even more political in nature than previous efforts, it loses the plot sometimes as it get's hung up on politics ( White House, oil, sexual, etc. ) and that does diminish it, for me at least.

As it was meant to set the stage for the rest of the series it ended pretty much as expected. This is probably the biggest fault of the book, it's not very original in it's execution.

Which scene was your favorite?

n/a

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Terrrrrrror in Space

Any additional comments?

As much as I admire the idea the book hasn't really aged all that well. One example is that one of the characters feels the need to explain the term "wind farm" to another (side) character.

Overall, as said above, the idea of the Powersat etc. is interesting, the science appears to me solid too. Where it falls down is just how cliched the characters and their actions are. There was no surprise in it for me.

I would have passed this over had I not seen the Grand Tour banner attached to the title.It's a political thriller with plausible science unpinning the narrative. As far as the Grand Tour goes, I am looking forward to more exploration of the outer solar system, but this satisfied me for now.

While it is a shame that Blackstone released this somewhat rough cut instead of a properly edited recording, I can't say that it was terribly upsetting to me personally. Stephen Rudnicki is such a wonderfully gifted narrater, it was interesting to hear his alternate inflections and retakes. But please, Blackstone, this is not podiobooks, you're getting paid, so next time review your work before selling it.

More a terrestrial drama of human proportions than SciFi. Also, a study in super egos and the differing perspectives of business versus politicians. The book stretches credibility with quick reaction launches of a commercial space plane. I particularly enjoyed the CEOs problem solving when grounded for flying by government bureaucracy. Typical Bova.

This is an older book so some of the technology is behind the times now. But everything else is relevant--the political, corporate, and international backstabbing are all still very timely. The human interest level here is supplied by the separation of the main character and his would-be wife. She went off to Washington and he went off to space; they can't get over each other, can't leave their other love. And then they did stupid things like disparage the other's life choice: "You still playing in space?" and "You care about that political crap?"

You would thing that cheap, renewable, clean energy would be everyone's dream, but it isn't. The oil, coal and automobile industries would suffer, and the countries that depend on exports of these would be bankrupted, so there is lots of opposition to this concept that would really benefit the world.

The characters are real enough that we lament their deaths, or cheer their downfall. The narration is great. The story is long and satisfying. All in all a good read with technology, corporate espionage, political playoffs, thug intimidation, and greed, greed that cares not a whit what corpses lie in its wake.

One of the better Bova novels. Dan Randolf is very much like Keith Stoner. I wish Bova would make the characters a bit smarter, more like Markov from the Voyager series. Sometimes it's like watching a horror film and wanting to scream "turn around" at the characters. Does the hero have to be a petulant child? Rudniki's accents (especially Russian) are fabulous. I have to say that Rudniki's narration is a strong reason I continue with these books.

The story itself, I like a techno thriller and this delivered on that well. But I find Stefan Rudnicki's voice to be very mono-tone which makes is a hard listen.

What didn’t you like about Stefan Rudnicki’s performance?

I found his voice to be very mono-tone, but the most annoying thing was the editing. There are at least 15 bad edits in this audiobook if not more. Many times a sentence or partial sentence is repeated, and in one case it was repeated twice. This is by far the worsted edited audiobook in my audible library of around 100 books.

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